Baby Steps
There are always a lot of unknowns when it comes to venturing into the Gap, a Native American village in northern Arizona: How many dogs or puppies will be found? Will they be injured? Starving? Will they have trust enough to accept our help, or will they run for the hills in fear? Will a litter of puppies - who have had the misfortune of learning to be afraid - scamper in all directions where we can only catch a few?
Many times at the stray dog area of this little village, several sets of eyes watch from a safe distance while food and water are put on the ground; once everyone has retreated to a safe distance so these apprehensive dogs feel a bit more secure, the relief is instant to see them converge on the bowls.
Lynette Seekatz coaxing a stray
Cathie Myers' trip this particular day rendered an entirely new and unknown factor that was both heartening and a definite sign of progress. As Humane Education manager for Best Friends Animal Society, it was Cathie's sole objective to create awareness in outlying communities by empowering residents with the ability to enact positive change. She found out one morning how the two-year presence of Best Friends and Fredonia Humane Society has impacted Gap locals to become involved in their own spay/neuter project.
As Cathie was filling water bowls this early Sunday morning, a local woman came over to the van and asked “Are you from that group in Utah? Are you with Tom [Corrigan from Fredonia Humane Society]?” When Cathie said yes, the woman excitedly told her she had received a call from FHS to say her dog was next on the list to be spayed. Then the woman mentioned she had missed the food drop a few days earlier and asked if Cathie had any more. She gave the woman a bag and went back to filling more bowls.
Soon after, more people showed up to inquire about the spay/neuter program, find out when the next food drop was and to see if FHS had room for litters of puppies. Cathie, while giving one elderly woman food for a momma dog with seven 4-week-old pups, explained how the babies needed to stay with the mom until at least 6 to 8 weeks so they receive natural immunity from the mom's milk and become better socialized. The woman then asked if she could be placed on the list to have the momma dog spayed because she didn't want anymore puppies.
Others stopped by to alert Cathie of stray dogs in their neighborhoods and people feeding colonies of cats who could use some help. One nicely dressed woman on her way to church - after explaining how many dogs and cats she and a neighbor feed together and receiving food for their wonderful efforts - excitedly remarked she was going right back home to put out the food before she went to church. When she confided in Cathie that she often mixes boiled meat, rice and chicken broth for the stray dogs, Cathie realized just how many of these folks care about the animals in the best way they can. She said she is very appreciative to have been given this insight to those who live at the Gap, because it illustrates how the chain of progress can easily grow with the tiniest of links.
Photo of Lynette Seekatz by Andrea Traganza. Photo of puppy getting a drink by Carrie Fagerstrom. Main photo of Freddie by FHS.
Fredonia Humane Society welcomes operational and supply donations through
PayPal with the email address
fredhumsoc@aol.com, our
Amazon Wish List or via snail mail to PO Box 1238, Fredonia, AZ 86022.
Questions and comments are always appreciated at
fredhumsoc@aol.com.
Also, visit all our kids on
Petfinder and
Facebook.